Grape-stemming device



y 9, 1929- c.-E. TRIPLETT 1,719,913

GRAPE STEMMING DEVICE Filed July 2, 19

:III P: 2%? v J INVENTOR Gan-90 'BY Q S VATTORNE Patented July 9, 1929 UNITED STATES CARL E. TRIPLE'IT, 0F CERES, CALIFORNIA.

GRAPE-STEMMING DEVICE.

Application filed July 2,

This invention relates to devices for stemmin g grapes and particularly to those of the variety known as Thompson seedless grapes.

It has previously been attempted to remove the naturally short stems from these grapes by means of rollers engaging and rotating toward each other. Owing to the shortness of the stems, however, and the necessity for supporting the grapes from a trough disposed above the rollers so that the grapes will not be pinched, it frequently happens that the stems do not depend as far down as the contacting surfaces of the rollers, so that the stems are not engaged by the rollers and of course are not pulled off.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to avoid the inefficient operation of devices of the above mentioned type by providiug fiat vertically movable stem engaging elements, which are disposed immediately below the grape supporting trough and which are arranged to intermittently spread apart to receive the stems therebetween and to be then brought together and lowered while held together, so as to positively pull the stems from the grapes.

By means of this arrangement it is possi ble to position the pulling elements very close to the trough so as to engage and remove even very short stems from the grapes, so that very high cliiciency of operation is obtained.

A further object of the invention is to produee a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

. These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a cross section of the machine showing the grape engaging pads as raised and spread apart.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the pads depressed and closed.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the apparatus.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a pair of suitable end. frames spaced apart a desired distance and connected intermediate their top and bet- 1928. Serial No. 289,735.

torn by longitudinally extending and transversely spaced bars 2 whose adjacent faces are vertical and parallel. Slidable between said faces of the bars at longitudinally spaced intervals are transverse blocks 3, which are definitely guided for vertical movement relative to the bars by pins 4 mounted on the blocks and slidable in vertical slots 5 in the bars or vice versa.

Each block supports a pair of vertical transversely spaced arms 6 which are pivoted intermediate their ends in. the block. The upper ends of the arms carry longitudinal angle supports 7 which face each other and in which are mounted semi-hard rubber stem engaging pads 8, whose adjacent faces are vertical and parallel to each other when brought together. Tension springs 9 applied to the lower ends of the arms act to normally hold the pads frictionally engaged with each other.

Mounted on the top of the frames 1 and extending therebetween are cooperating trough members 10 separated along the bottom to form a narrow slot 11 to permit of the stems S of the grapes G projecting therethrough. The slot is transversely and vertically alined with the adjacent faces of the pads, and is immediately adjacent the upper faces of the pads when the latter are in their uppermost position. The material of the trough is also thin. so that the slot is very shallow as to its height, which permits a grape itself to project as far down toward the pads as possible; the size and shape of the trough being such as to conform to the contour of an upstanding grape. A spiral screw conveyor 12 of common character is supported from the end frames and extends lengthwise of the trough. the bottom edge of the spiral being located so that it is approxi mately on a line with the center of height of an upstanding grape. i

The pitch of the conveyor is such as to receive a horizontally disposed grape plus its stem between the turns thereof. This conveyor not only positively feeds the grapes along the trough but also tends to cause them to assume a desired upstanding position in the trough so that the stems will project downwardly through the slot.

The pads are normally maintained in said uppermost position by a compression spring 13 acting upwardly on the block 3 from below. and disposed about a stem 14 fixed in said means: Journaled in the end frame above the block 8 is a longitudinal driven shaft 16 on whlch a set of cams is mounted for each pair of arms and the corresponding supportthen (in renal l) i the action at the ('ll'llltl 115 ing block. One cam 17 is arranged to engage and separatethe arms simultaneously while the other cams 18 are arranged to engage and depress the block. These cams are so set on the shaft relative to each other that with each revolution of the shaft the fol lowing pad movements are had. Commencing when the pads are in their uppermost po sition or immediatelyunder the slot, they are lirst held spread by the cam 17, then allowed to close by the action of the springs 9;

7 while still held closed, then again spread by the action of the cam 17, then allowed to rise due to the action of the spring 13., and held spread until after they have reached their uppermost position, as at the commencement of the cycle of'operations.

It will thus be seen that as the grapes travel along the trough and the stems project through the slot, the pads when closing will frictionally engage the stems close to their junction with the grapes and will pull said stems straight down and clear of the grapes,

and when said pads are separated after being lowered the stems will be released and can dropfree of the pads.

v A plurality of sets of longitudinally alined pads is preferably used, which sets are independent of each other and each of which is provided with its own operating springs and cams, the latter being of course mounted on the one cam shaft 16, and the one trough serving for all the sets of pads. The cams for the different sets are arranged so that when one pair of pads is raised the adjacent OIlGiIS lowered and so on; thus mak ng for greater certainty that practically all stems along the trough will sooner or later be engaged and removed. The above described form of cam and spring arrangement 1s, I

believe, the simplest, but it will be obvious that such arrangement may be varied in different ways and still give the same results.

The entire apparatus is preferably set on a downward slope of approximately 5 from ts feed-1n end so that the grapes will have a natural rolling movement in addition to the positive propulsion afforded by the conveyor.

Said conveyor and the cam shaft are of course drlven by any suitable means which it is not w necessary to show;

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

iVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting trough along which the grapes travel, said trough having a longitudinal slot in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed pads disposed below the trough and slot, means tending to bring the pads together to cause them to frictionally engage any grape stems projecting below the slot, and means for then drawing the pads downwardly to pull the stems from the grapes.

2. ll n'npn ntninnninj iln'irn indnilinn' a grape supporting trough along wlndi the grapes travel, said trough having a longitudinal slot.- in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed pads disposed below the trough and slot, means tending to bring the pads together to cause them to frictionally engage any grape stems projecting below the slot, means tending to maintain the pads immediately adjacent the bottom of the trough, means for moving the pads downwardly while they are held together, and means for then spreading the pads.

3. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting trough having a longitudinal slot in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed pads disposed below the trough and slot,

means tending to bring the pads together to cause them to frictionally engage any grape stems projecting below the slot, means for then drawing the pads downwardly to pull the stems from the grapes, means for then spreading the pads, and means for then raising the pads to adjacent the bottom of the trough, while said pads remain spread.

4. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting trough along which the grapes travel, said trough having a longitudinal slot in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed pads disposed below the trough and slot, means tending to bring the pads together to cause them to frictionally engage any grape stems projecting below the slot, and operating and control mechanisms for said pads for causing the pads, when immediately adjacent the trough. to be first spread apart, then brought together to frictionally engage any grape stems projecting below the slot. then lowered while still held together, then Elli spread apart, and then again raised to adjacent the trough while still maintained spread.

5. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting trough along which the grapes travel, said trough having a longitudinal slot in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed pads disposed below the trough and slot, transversely spaced arms depending from the pads, a vertically movable support for the arms, instrumentalities for alternately moving the arms to and from each other to spread the pads apart and move them together, and instrumentalities for raising and lowering the support to raise and lower the pads; the functioning of said instrumentalities being coordinated with respect to each other to provide a predetermined sequence of movement of the pads.

6. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting through along which the grapes travel, said trough having a longitudinal slot in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed pads disposed below the trough and slot, transversely spaced arms depending from the pads, a vertically movable support for the arms, means tending to raise the support, means for lowering the support, means for spreading the arms, and yieldable means for moving them toward each other, said different means being coordinated in their actions to provide a predetermined and recurring sequence of movement of the pads.

7. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting trough along which the grapes travel, said trough having a longitudinal slot in the bottom through which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed and longitudinal pads disposed below the trough and slot, transversely spaced arms depending from the pads, a vertically movable support for the arms, means tending to raise the support, cam means for lowering the support, spring means acting on the arms for bringing the pads together, and cam means acting on the arms for separating the pads against the resistance of the spring means, said last named cam means functioning when the pads are lowered and until the same are again raised.

8. A grape stemming device including a grape supporting trough along which the grapes travel, said troi'igh having a longitudinal slot in the bottom trough which the stems of the grapes may project, opposed and longitudinal. pads disposed below the trough and slot, transversely spaced arms depending from the pads, a vertically movable support for the arms, means tending to raise the support, a longitudinal shaft above the support, a cam on said shaft to ei'lgage and lower the support, spring means acting on the arms for bringing the pads together, and opposed cams also on said shaft for simultaneously engaging the arms to separate the pads, said last named cams functioning when the pads are lowered and until the same are again raised.

9. A structure as in claim 2, in which the pads are arranged in longitudinally alincd but independent pairs; the operating means for the different pairs of pads being arranged to function relative to each other so that when one pair of pads is raised the other is lowered and vice versa.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CARL E. TRIPLETT. 

